Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Netanyahu noted the ransomware assault had not hit any of Israel’s “vital infrastructure” and that other damage was “minor.”

“Several years ago we established a defense network against cyber attacks,” Netanyahu said. “We also had the foresight to establish the National Cyber Defense Authority based on the understanding that we yet face a new threat.”

“I can only request one thing from Israel’s citizens and Israel’s companies — follow the directives of the National Cyber Defense Authority,” the prime minister continued. “There will yet be many developments and we will need to invest more resources in order to ensure that the State of Israel, vis-a-vis both its defense and civilian sectors, has the necessary defensive measures against this new type of threat.”